Brace.



PATENTED JAN. 21,1908. I

N. H. NELSON.

BRACE. APPLICATION FILED Jun 5,1901.

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No.87'7.110- PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908.

' A, .N. H. NELSON.

BRAGE.

APPLICATION FILED 1m 5. 1907.

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NELS H. NELSON, OF WILLMAR, MINNESOTA.

BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed June 5. 1907. Serial No. 377.416.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELS H. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Willmar, in the county of Kandiyohi and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Brace, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means .forbracing of machines used in excavating ditching, dredging, &c., and is applicable to such and similar machines whether they stand on wheels or are floating on water. And the general object is to provide an efficient and convenient foldable and adjustable bracing device to prevent such machine from tilting over or leanin unduly over when at work.

This object Fattain by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top view of my bracing device and a portion of a ditching machine to which it is applied. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of an incompleted floating ditching and dredging machine with my braces applied to both sides of it. Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the foot part of the brace proper. Fig. 5 is a sectional top view of the brace on line a a in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail front elevation of a portion of one of the braces and the rack and pinion raising and lowering same.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates the body of a working machine, which may stand on wheels (not shown) or float in water 2, which in Fig. 2 is indicated by a single line while in Fig. 3 it is more fully shown.

3 indicates a ditch being dug by the machine. Such machines are usually provided with a mast or upright 4, a beam 5, and scoop 6 operated by an engine 7 and intermediate means (not shown), so that the scoop may for instance dig a ditch or canal 3 and deposit the earth upon either side of the canal.

When the scoop is in a lateral position as shown to the left in Fig. 3 the machine, if of a practical size, will tilt over, and for that reason some kind of braces are always used,

but as I have found all earlier constructed braces to have many objections to them, I provide braces of an improved construction as follows: To the side framework 8 of the machine I pivot at 9 to swing horizontally a brace frame comprising two horizontal parallel arms 1O10 and a diagonal brace of bar 11 and a bracing rod or bolt 12 securing said parts together and giving firmness thereto. To the outer ends of arms 10 are pivoted at band 14 suitable lugs of a skeleton frame formed of four bars of angle iron 15 and the transverse bands 16 holding them together. In said skeleton frame slides a normally vertical bracing post 17 preferably made of lumber and having its corners lined with angle iron 18 serving as wearing stri s inside the angle irons of frame 15. To t e inner side of the post is secured a rack 19, (see Fig. 6) engaged by a pinion 20 fixed on a shaft 21, journaled to the frame 15 and turned by a worm-wheel 22 and worm-screw 23; the latter is detachably held by a screw or bolt 24 to a shaft 25 journaled in bearings 26 fixed on the arm 10 and detachably secured by a universal joint 27 to a shaft 28 mounted in bearings 29 upon the machine. Upon said shaft 28 is keyed to slide a sleeve 30 having an annular groove 31 engaged by a shifter 32, and upon the sleeve are fixed two bevel gears 3334, either of which, according to the position of the shifter, will engage with a bevel-gear 35 fixed on a short shaft 36 journaled in a bearing 37 and having a bevelgear 38 driven by a bevel-gear 39, fixed on a counter-shaft 40. The latter shaft is journaled in bearings 41, and upon it revolves a sprocket 42, driven by a link belt 43 and a sprocket 44 fixed on the shaft 45 of the engine 7.

On the counter-shaft is slidingly keyed a clutch member 46, controlled by a lever 47, so that whenever the member is thrown into contact with the side of the sprocket 42 the counter shaft will revolve and by further swinging the shifter lever 32 into the desired position the worm screw will be turned in either direction and thus raise or lower the bracing post 15. This arrangement being the same at either side of the machine the description of one side will answer for both.

The post 15 may be inclined to and from the machine by means of a sliding joint 48 in the upper arm 10. The brace frame 10 10 -11 may also be held at different angles to the side of the machine by means of adjustable braces 49 having holes 50 engaged by a pin 51 in a guiding bracket 52 fixed on the machine. By removing said braces 49 49 from their detachable end fastenings the brace frame may be folded to the side of the machine as shown in dotted lines 1O in Fig. 1, and by removing further the pivot 13 and let the frame 15 turn on pivot 14 the brace fixed in the pinion and journaled to the tact with the shaft or stem of the wormrest of it, it will assume a slanting position in i any direction by tilting on the pivot and by bar 17 and its frame 15 are brought to the horizontal position 15 whereby the machine is enabled to move on railroads through the tunnels, and, if a floating machine, through narrow places under bridges &c. Before th bracing post and its frames are thus foldedthe shaft 25 is detached both at 24 and 27, 1 and as the frame is partly folded toward. the l l gaging the worm-gear, a shaft extending from the end of the worm-screw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the worm screw.

2. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device com rising a frame pivoted to swing horizontal y at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and havingat one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed in the pinion and j ournaled to the frame, a worm-gear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the worm-gear, a shaft extending from the end of the worm-screw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection. to start, stop and reverse the worm screw, and braces for holding the frame at different angles to the side of the machine, said wormscrew shaft having a universal joint and a slidable joint to allow the frame to change position.

3. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed in the pinion and journaled to the frame, a worm gear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the worm gear, a shaft extending fromithe-end of the worm-screw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the worm screw, said frame having a pivoted portion guiding the post and adapted to be detached at one end so as to fold with the post to' a horizontal position.

4. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed in side of the machine with joint 27 separated, the shaft 25 can he slid endwise out of conscrew 23, so that joint 14 will be free to swing the frame 15.

At the lower end of each brace post 17 is fixed, at the inner and outer sides thereof, a downwardly projecting slotted arm 54 (see Fig. 4), in whose slots play horizontal pivot bolts 55 having their end secured. in two metallic cleats 56 fixed upon a large foot plate 57, which has a central clearing hole 58 for said arms. The post is also provided at its front and rear side with metallic stops 59 adapted to engage the top of the cleats and force the foot plate to transverse position to the post when the latter 'is pressed downwardly; but if the plate should meet much more resistance under a part than under the having the pivot tilting in the slots, until the plate finds resting points even on uneven surface or in the mud and marsh in which it often has to descend, as shown in dotted lines to the right in Fig. 3. The tilting of the plate on the pivot also enables it to fold to the position 57 during transportation of the machine. Each foot plate is pivoted to the brace post sufficiently forward of the middle to cause the front end of the plate to rise first and thus facilitate the extracting of the plate when it is settled deep in the mud.

From the above description it will be seen that in my device the operator running the machine has full,,and easy control of the braces to push them by the force of his engine to a solid bearing in any kind of ground, and raise them therefrom again simply by manipulating the various shifter levers, and may thus save the labor of one or two men usually employed to operate the braces of such machines, besides doing the work faster and more effectively by the power of the engine.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rackf af' shaft worm-gear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the worm-gear, a shaft extending from the end of the worm-scrcw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor car ried by the machine, and'means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the wrom-screw, said foot plate being pivotally secured to the post and having a vertical play with either or both ends of the pivot.

frame, a worm-gear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and enthe pinion and journaled to the frame, a

5. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed'in the pinion and journaled to the frame, a wormgear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the worm-gear, a shaft extending from the end of the wormscrew and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the worm screw, said foot plate being pivotally secured to the postiand having a vertical play with either or both ends of the pivot, and the stops 59 to press upon the plate for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack, a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed in the pinion and j ournaled to the frame, a worm-gear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the worm-gear, a shaft extending from the end of the worm-screw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the worm-screw, said frame being adjustable, so as to throw the post into various inclined positions to and from the machine.

7. The combination with a machine of the class described, of a bracing device comprising a frame pivoted to swing horizontally at the side of the machine, a post sliding vertically in the frame and having at one side a rack a foot plate at the lower end of the post, a pinion engaging the rack, a shaft fixed in the pinion and journaled to the frame, a wormgear fixed on the shaft, a worm-screw mounted on the frame and engaging the wormgear, a shaft extending from the end of the worm-screw and having operative connection with the engine or other motor carried by the machine, and means for controlling said operative connection to start, stop and reverse the worm-screw, said frame being foldable on its hinges to the side of the machine, and the shaft driving the worm screw having separable joints to allow the frame to fold. V

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NELS H. NELSON; Witnesses: I

GEO. H. OTTERNESS, T. O. GILBERT. 

